Lucy was the kind of person who couldn't sleep when something weighed on her mind.
The next morning, she stormed into the guild and collapsed dramatically at the counter, pouring her heart out to Mira.
"We promised to push them out of town before fighting! Or at the very least be careful, but nooo, the moment we found them, everyone just went wild! Happy and I were the only ones who even tried to hold back!"
Under the combined onslaught of Erza, Natsu, and Gray, the cultists had no choice but to flee in panic.
And the result of that frantic chase? Two more streets flattened.
"All for nothing again! We didn't even get paid! Waaaah!"
"There, there..." Mira gently patted her shoulder. "Well, at least you didn't have to pay extra compensation this time, right?"
Lucy sniffled and nodded, "Yeah. We stopped the cult before they could cause more trouble and recovered a bunch of stolen property, so the client forgave us, they just, you know, withheld the entire reward."
Rhodes added, "You're lucky it only cost you the reward. If you're only down 500,000 Jewel after flattening three streets, I'd say you got off light."
Lucy slumped further. "I guess when you put it that way... but what about my rent? I've only got three days left!"
Rent was due on the fifth of every month. Today was the second. She could ask the landlady for an extension, but the woman wasn't known for her understanding nature. Unless Lucy was absolutely desperate, she didn't want to face that conversation.
Mira gave it some thought. "Maybe you should stick to monster-subjugation jobs that are far away from towns."
"That's... kind of depressing to hear," Lucy mumbled. "But, you're probably right. Are there any like that available?"
"There are a few," Mira said thoughtfully, "but they're either really far away or the targets are wandering monsters. Just finding them takes days. So if you're looking for a quick fix, those probably won't cut it."
Rhodes chimed in. "Yeah, those kinds of jobs are best for someone like me and Mira. They take patience."
"It's okay if you don't earn anything, Lucy!" Happy said cheerfully while munching on a steamed fish. "If you can't pay rent, you can sleep with me and Natsu!"
Lucy gave him a glare sharp enough to cut stone. "Say that again and I'll rip every whisker off your face."
Natsu rolled by pushing a heavy cart of stone. "Hey, Lucy! Don't slack off! If you don't help move the stone, Erza's gonna outwork you again!"
"I'm looking for a job!" she snapped, then pointed furiously. "And why would I ever want to compete with Erza at pushing rocks?!"
Erza passed by just then, gliding effortlessly with her own cartload. "Want to race? Go ahead. You've still got a long way to go."
Lucy let out a weary sigh. "Do I look like someone who enjoys competition?"
Gray walked by shirtless, as usual, pushing his own load of materials. He glanced at Lucy. She looked at him. But instead of saying anything, he just sighed and kept walking.
"Come on!" Lucy whined. "Say something!"
Juvia, who had been peeking from behind a stack of crates, bit her handkerchief in jealousy. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the interaction unfold.
A love rival! It's happening right before my eyes!
Lucy shivered for no reason. A sudden chill ran down her spine.
Mira glanced at Gray, then Lucy, and tilted her head playfully. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" she asked, mimicking Happy's teasing tone, complete with a not-so-accurate tongue flick.
Lucy shrieked, "No there isn't!"
Happy gasped. The fish slipped from his mouth, splashing soup all over his belly.
"Our line! Lucy, how could you take our line like that?! Waaaah!"
He ran off wailing and huddled in the corner of the tent, heartbroken.
"Why are you crying over one line?! And it was Miss Mira who said it first, not me! Why am I the one being blamed?!"
Lucy clutched her head in frustration, on the verge of breaking down.
"You're hilarious, Lucy," Mira giggled, covering her mouth as she laughed. Once she settled down, she nudged Rhodes with her elbow. "Help her pick a mission, would you?"
Rhodes nodded solemnly. "Since Miss Mirajane enjoyed the performance, I'll reluctantly assist."
"Why are you suddenly using her full name like it's some grand title?! And what's with the fake reluctance?! And I wasn't even acting!!" Lucy was so flustered she didn't know what to complain about first. Her brain short-circuited. She felt exhausted.
Mira chuckled even more at Lucy's spiraling meltdown, and since she was in such a good mood, she brought a freshly steamed fish to coax Happy back to life.
Rhodes looked over at Lucy. "Do you have a preferred type of mission? I recall you liked adventure requests."
Lucy slumped in defeat. "Yeah, I did like them, but I've done so many lately... At this point, as long as I can pay the rent, I'll take anything."
Now that was a depressing line.
Rhodes flipped through a stack of mission requests, stopping at one and handing it to her. "Try this one. A newly opened billiards hall has been having trouble ever since it opened. Some guys keep showing up to stir trouble and wreck the place. It's scaring customers away. The job is to find a solution."
"A... billiards hall?" Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that just asking for Natsu to smash everything the moment someone picks a fight?"
"These are just small-time punks," Rhodes explained. "The real troublemaker might be a rival business or some local gang leader trying to control the area. Worst-case scenario, a few pool tables get cracked, maybe a window or two, but if you can handle things without magic, it won't be a disaster."
He leaned forward a bit. "The tricky part is making sure they don't come back after you leave, or figuring out how to deal with whoever's pulling the strings behind them. You'll need more than just brute force. Think strategically."
"Oooh... so I have to come up with a plan?" Lucy's eyes lit up with interest. "That actually sounds kind of fun!"
She glanced at the reward listed,180,000 Jewel. After splitting it with the team and adding what she had left in savings, it'd be just enough to cover her rent.
"I'm gonna go find Erza right now!"
"Hold up," Rhodes added, amused. "There is a kind of strategic billiards-based solution, too. If it comes down to it, you might need to learn how to actually play pool. Make sure you're prepared before heading out."
Lucy pumped her fist with renewed energy. "Got it! I swear, this time I'm getting paid!"
As Lucy dashed off, fired up to finally secure a win, Rhodes returned to his usual rhythm, cross-checking last month's ledgers and reviewing the latest building material inventories for the construction site.
A fresh shipment of wine and stone materials was scheduled to arrive later. Rhodes made a quick note of it, planning to let Mira handle it once she was free.
He glanced around. No new mission applicants had shown up, and things were relatively calm at the counter, so after checking in with Mira, he joined the crew hauling bricks.
This guild was his first real home in this world, and he wanted to help rebuild it with his own hands. Getting it done quickly so he and Mira could finally go out and play? That was just a bonus.
Day by day, the guild's reconstruction steadily progressed.
Meanwhile, the first wave of members who had gone out on missions were starting to trickle back, and along with them came more handwritten apology letters to add to the president's ever-growing stack.
Fortunately, none of the incidents were serious enough to warrant disciplinary action. So Makarov simply scribbled his apologies during construction breaks, sipping tea with one hand and writing with the other like a seasoned pro.
After Elfman returned from his last mission, he dove straight into guild construction with full enthusiasm. But after a few days of hard work, he accepted another mission again.
He really was serious about saving money.
Mira didn't say anything or try to stop him. She simply smiled. She knew the numbers.
Based on the savings and mission earnings she'd quietly kept track of, she and Rhodes would reach their goal far sooner than Elfman. When that day came, she'd surprise him.
When Lucy returned to the guild, she didn't look upset this time, just tired and a bit... baffled.
That was because, walking behind her, Natsu and Gray were each carrying a full-sized pool table with huge grins plastered on their faces.
To make it more bizarre, Erza was calmly wheeling a cart behind them with a sealed wooden crate on top. Inside? Two full sets of billiard balls, and four cues neatly tied together.
...
Bonus